Outrageous! Scandalous! Get Naked and Win a Taco!
An Outrageous Taco ad from 1979.
In 1971, longtime Walla Walla resident Bob Jessee, opened Outrageous Taco and Pizza Factory, located in the tip of the Flatiron Building at 9 Boyer Avenue. It was the place for teenagers to fill up on tacos, burritos, taco burgers, hoagies, and pizza.
Outrageous Taco also honored local student ID school cards for specials, such as a free sodas with purchases. The majority of the schools in the 1970s were closed campus, but that didn’t stop teens from making fast getaways and driving to Outrageous Taco for lunch.
On a very cold evening on March 7, 1974, KTEL AM radio DJ personality “John Hammond” announced over the air a “Streak Challenge”. The first bold joggers who took the challenge would receive certificates for free Outrageous Tacos.
Two birthday-suited teens, one by the name of “Boris Jones” and an unidentified female, hit the streets at the intersection of Second Avenue and Tietan Street, the radio station’s location at the time. After the cheeky commotion, the two winning streakers shook hands with admirers, and DJ Hammond presented their taco certificates. But the story didn’t stop there.
This photo appeared in the March 7, 1974 Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.
Soon, other young men joined the notorious two, and by 9:30 p.m., around 400 young people and area residents were gawking, with cars jamming the intersections four blocks long in both directions, hoping for a “shot of the moon.” As DJ John Hammond recounted the story more than 40 years later, “It was a frickin’ instant parade!”
After the excitement settled down and the clothes went back on, the station manager admonished Hammond. Not too harshly, though, because advertisers, including Coca-Cola, The Bon Marche Department Store, and the popular high school hangout The Record Center, loved it.
996, Outrageous Taco finally “taco hike” and closed its doors. Today, former DJ John Hammond remains in Walla Walla and lives under an assumed identity. ;)
Soon, other young men joined the notorious two, and by 9:30 p.m., around 400 young people and area residents were gawking, with cars jamming the intersections four blocks long in both directions, hoping for a “shot of the moon.” As DJ John Hammond recounted the story more than 40 years later, “It was a frickin’ instant parade!”
After the excitement settled down and the clothes went back on, the station manager admonished Hammond. Not too harshly, though, because advertisers, including Coca-Cola, The Bon Marche Department Store, and the popular high school hangout The Record Center, loved it.
996, Outrageous Taco finally “taco hike” and closed its doors. Today, former DJ John Hammond remains in Walla Walla and lives under an assumed identity. ;)
By Catie McIntyre Walker
For more information about Walla Walla’s dining past, check out “Lost Restaurants of Walla Walla”. The book is also available through Book & Game Co. and The Downtown Walla Walla Foundation. Union-Bulletin photos and ads courtesy of Joe Drazan, Bygone Walla Walla